March 2015 36 3 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top stories from the March 2015 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
Analysis
The 2015 McKnight's Online Expo is here
9th annual 'virtual' tradeshow makes it easy to earn continuing education credits, learn from national experts, visit vendor booths and get up to speed on ...
big picture
Pitching a terrible idea
Even if you are not a baseball fan, you are probably familiar with the concept of three-strikes-and-you're-out.
News
Departing workers are outpacing arrivals
Workers are continuing to leave the field faster than they arrive, a new study finds.
New rankings might wrongly show downturn, leaders fear
Despite progress reducing off-label use of antipsychotics among nursing home residents, providers remained worried about a rebasing of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ...
Drug combo can be deadly
Spironolactone, a diuretic used to treat heart failure, can cause a risk of sudden death in seniors when given with the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, Toronto researchers ...
Meds linked to dementia risk
A high use of anticholinergic medications has been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study.
McKnight's Online Expo to tackle pressing issues
Certain issues tend to weigh heavily on the minds of operators. Chief among them: reducing hospital readmissions, complying with ever-changing Medicare rules, finding needed capital, ...
Industry warily eyes funding adjustments
Long-term care leaders have mixed feelings about a first-ever federal timeline for more bundled and other alternative payments, calling it "a good thing" but also ...
Rate drops for antipsychotics
Industry leaders were pleasantly surprised to learn that nursing home operators had exceeded goals for lowering unnecessary antipsychotics use. The level dropped by nearly 20% ...
State News
State News for March 2015
ARKANSAS — A former circuit court judge recently admitted that a campaign contribution induced him to lower a jury award in a negligent death lawsuit ...
Features
Feature: Next to godliness
Providers are offering more laundry service variations than ever before, with options ranging from special wash concentrations to delivery enhancement
Feature: Not a normal part of aging
Keeping incontinent residents healthy, dignified and satisfied is a full-time chore — if providers are educated and keeping a proper eye on those in their ...
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds With ... Larry Minnix
Nonprofits will continue to lead the way when it comes to service innovation, Minnix says.
Resident care
Playing catch may help to reduce falls
Catching a weighted medicine ball can improve balance and may help prevent falls in the elderly, according to two studies from the University of Illinois ...
Wound care
Molecule found to prevent wound healing
Researchers have identified a molecule that may explain why wound healing is impaired in people with diabetes. The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine ...
Smokers not informed of ways habit can affect wound healing
Exposure to smoke from just one cigarette decreases blood flow to chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. A ...
Ask the treatment expert ... about bariatric residents
Bariatric residents require special care related to pressure ulcer prevention and treatment, along with safe practices to prevent injury to both the resident and staff ...
Nursing
Night shift work a risk factor for diabetes?
The more years black women spend working the night shift, the higher their risk for developing diabetes, according to a new study in Diabetologia.
Study explores rural nursing challenges and opportunities
Rural facilities with higher ratios of RNs are associated with better outcomes, but the right staffing mix might be difficult to achieve.
Ask the Nursing Expert ... about hospital readmissions
Is it true we will be hit by cuts in reimbursement and penalized by Medicare for high percentages of hospital readmissions based on the Protecting ...
Payment & policy
Bill would cover telehealth
In a move that could greatly expand the visibility and adoption of telehealth systems, Congress is proposing that Medicare reimburse telehealth services at the same ...
MedPAC changing tune on hospital observation stays?
Long-term care providers' hopes for eliminating hospital observation stays may be fading after some Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members said they were re-thinking their positions ...
Legal Matters
Bankrupt facility must pay up, judge rules
A federal appeals court has ruled that former officers and directors of a nursing home that closed after declaring bankruptcy are still liable for $2.25 ...
Complaint by whistleblowers will cost hospice $4 million
A hospice company that hired medical directors with close ties to nursing homes to better pursue allegedly fraudulent practices has agreed to a $4 million ...
Ask the legal expert ... about "granny cams"
I know there are state-specific laws, but what can we do generally to keep "granny cams" out of our facility? Seems like the movement to ...
Design
A 'repurposing' focus
Renovating a 20-year-old facility in West Texas takes more than fresh paint and new furnishings — it's a transformation into a modern center
How to do it…
How to do it ..Better staff scheduling
Electronic staff scheduling programs have become so sophisticated, some wonder how anyone performs the task anymore with paper and pencil. When it comes to managing ...
Careers
A Day in the Life: Assembling a stand-up workforce
A growing group of employees at Pleasant View Care Center gives Administrator Kathryn Keane a standing ovation every time they see her.
Technology
Incentives seen as a spark for EHR expansion in field
Electronic health record use in nursing homes is at an all-time high, but health information technology adoption in long-term care is still lagging behind other ...
I couldn't live without ... PointRight
With data as a critical focus of her job, Samantha Broussard, RN, needs a system that can handle the volume, speed and constant flow of ...
Opinion
Driven to drink - cheers!
Is it just a coincidence that on the day after the most heartbreaking defeat ever in Seattle sports, following the worst coaching decision in recorded ...
Resident care
Study reveals slow feedings may exacerbate dysphagia
Researchers caution that a slow-but-constant feeding pace could worsen dysphagia by increasing the duration of mealtimes and fatiguing the oral muscles associated with swallowing.
Ask the care expert .. about silverware to help with tremors
Do you know of silverware to assist residents who may have Parkinson's or tremors while eating? We have weighted bulky silverware, but it seems to ...
Company news
Brookdale encounters a new problem: separation anxiety
Embattled Brookdale Senior Living is being asked by a major shareholder to spin off its real estate holdings and revamp its governance board.
Kindred deal lands Gentiva
Kindred Healthcare has completed its purchase of Gentiva Health Services in a deal valued at $1.8 billion, including assumed debt.
Vendor news
Extended-release hydrocodone launched
A new extended-release tablet with hydrocodone was launched in the United States at the end of January.
HCR ManorCare enlists PAC company for management
naviHealth, a post-acute care management company, has announced a partnership with HCR ManorCare.
Editor’s desk
Feds' new pay-for-quality goals are OK, except ...
Long-term care providers weren't outwardly jumping for joy when it was announced that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of ...
Profile
Profile: Barbara Gay
Growing up in a quintessential New England town with extended family all around, Barbara Gay always appreciated the rich relationships she had with older adults.
